Contact-maker for helm-indicators.



r. W. WOOD. CONTACT MAKER FOB HELM INDICATORS. APPLICATION FILED $0110.19, 1907.

' Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

P. W. WOOD.

CONTACT MAKER FOB. HELM' INDICATORS.

APBLIOATION FILED DEC. 19, 1907. 914,626. Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P.'W. WOOD.

CONTACT MAKER FOB HELM INDICATORS.

-. AYPLIOATION IILIE'DDECJQ, 1907.

- Batentd maria 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' 50 the line UNITED STATES,

FRANK W. WOOD, OF NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, Ah

.GNGR TO CHARLES .CGRY AND JOHN M.

oonY, on NEW rock, n. 1 A man.

CONTACT-MAKER FOB HELENE-INDICATORS.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 9,1909.

Application filed December 19, 1997. Serial No. $07,163.

'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. Woon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newport News, in the county of Warwick and State of Virginia, have invented'new and useful Improvements in Contact-Makers for Helm-Indicators, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to helm indicators and particularly to devices of. this character in which a suitable clectricindicating instrument placed on'the bridge, in the steering engine room, or other suitable place on board the ship, is so arranged as to indicate 5 accurately at all times the angular position of the helm or the rudder.

,Theprimary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which arcing at the contact points will be practically' avoldedand the consequent destruc- .tion of the parts prevented.

Another object of .the lnvention'is to, provide a contact maker in whichthe-movement of the contact arm willbe relatively .25 large in proportion to the movement of the vide a device device, showing the same connected to therudder ost. Fig. 2 is a plan view, on an enlarge scale, of the contact box, withthe coverremoved'. Fig. 3 is a substantially central, transverse section thereof, arts beingshown*in'elevation. Fig. 4 is a 101izontal section of the contact ring or drum, on an enlar ed scale, the parts above and 'below the" broken line lylng in different planes. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 isa develop- 'ment ofthe contact drum; 'Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the circuits employed.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 represents the usual rudder post, to which I' attach a yoke 2 provided with openings 3 for the reception ofthe usual steering gear connectlons. To this yoke 2, I pivot 011 either side of thepost,, as at'5, one end of a pair of links l, the other ends of which are connected to the endsof a cross bar 6, associated with the contact box. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, this cross bar. 6 is mounted on the square upper end of a shaft "12, and held inposition by means of a lock nut 14. The shaft 12 passes through the stulfing box 13 formed in the top, 8, of a casing 7,-1I1

closing the operating parts of the contact maker; The casing is provided with perforated lugs 9, by means of which it may be secured in position, and with a' screwthreaded socket 10, into which "lits a pipe 11, I

which constitutes a conduit for the wires forming the'various circuits. The shaft 12 passes tothe inside of the casing and is .journaled in a bracket 1.5 and, at-its lower end, in a socket 16, formed on the bottom of" the casing. To the shaft 12 is secureda segmental rack or gear 17, which meshes with pinion 18 carried on the upper end of a shaft-19, which is also ournaled 1n the bracket 15, and in a socket 20 formed. in the bottom of the casing. To .the shaft .1.) is secured a contact arm 21, provided at its outer end with a plurality of sockets, in which are mounted pencils or brushes 22, preferably of carbon, behind which are placed the coil springs Mounted concentrically oi the casing? and supported slightly above the bottom thereof by means of brackets 24-, is an annular ring or drum 2%, formed of insulating material, such as hard rubber or the like. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, this drum is provided on its inner surface-with a plurality of grooves 25, and in these grooves are arranged the contact strips which cooperate with the l. rushes, 22, to control the circuits hereinafter described. In the lower one of the three. grooves is mounted a continuous metallic strip or band 26, secured in position by means of screws 36 passing through the body of the drum. In the middle groove secured a series of 1110-. tallic strips or contacts 27, separated by intervening pieces 28, of insulating material. In the top groove is secured a series of me tallic strips oncontaets 29, separatod by in terveniiigpieoos of insulating material 30. These contacts arehold in position by screws 32, 35, passing through the body of the drum,

and, as will be soon, by reference to Fig. *1,

the ends of the contactstrips 27 and 29 are arranged to overlie the ends of the intervening pieces of insulating material 28 and 30, and thus hold the latter in position. In

Fig. 1, the lower half is a section through the.

middle series of contacts 27, while the upper half is a section through the top row of contacts 29. ,The contacts of the upperrow are provided withprojecting lugs 38, to which wire terminals such as 341 maybe secured by means of screws 37. Connections are made wlth the contacts of the middle series by means of screws 33, passing downwardly through wire terminals 34, and contacting with screws 82which hold the contacts 27 in place. As shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the terminals for the upper series ofcontacts are located in notches formed in the edge of the drum, and thus lie in a lower plane than the terminals for the middle series, which are se-' cured to the "edge of the drum. By reference to Fig. 6 it will be seen that thecontacts 29 of the upper series, alternate with the contacts 27 of the middle series. In other words, vertical lines drawn through the contacts of the upper series will pass through the pieces of insulation, separating the con-' tacts of the middle series. The brushes 22 are arranged to hear, one upon each annular series of contacts, and the drum 24 is provided with a set of openings 31, through which the brushes 22 may be inserted in or removed from the contact arm' 21.

' casingprov'ide with partitions having trans- Fig. 7 shows a system of wiring which may be employed with my improved contact mechanism. By reference to this figure,'it will be seen that I have illustrated an indicator which consists of a set of electric lamps 44, 45, "arranged preferably in the arc of a circle, and ada ted to be disposed within a parent front walls bearing numbers indicatmg the de rees of displacement of the rudder. Associated with the numbers may be the legends, Port, Starboard. Such an indicator is shown and described in my Patent, No: 667,859, granted February 12, 1901' and forms no part of the present invention. It will be particularly noted, how:

ever, that consecutive lamps, such as 44, are

wired by means of the leads 46 to alternate 3 contact pieces of my contact mechanism. I

' .That is to say, adjacent lampsare wired alternately to the contacts 29 of the top row and the contacts 27 of the middle row. The

- contact 26 constitutes a common return, and

is connected by means of a. wire 40,v through a suitable switch 41, and source of current 42, with a Wire 43 which is common to all of .the lam s. V v It will be seen that bythe above arrange,- ment I am enabled to separate. each of the 90ntactsby. a com aratively large piece'of 'msulatmg materia, without unduly in creasmg the size of'the apparatus. Since the brushes have a comparatively small contact surface, it will be obvious that it is impossible for them to bridge the space between any two contacts, such as 29, and'thus cause objectionable mistakes. Also, owing to the great widthof insulation betweenthe contacts it will be impossible for an arc to- The arrangeform'from one to the other. ment has a number of advantages-which, it is thought, are not necessary to dwell u on at length, as they are obvious, and wi l be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art. By means of the gearing 17, 18, I am enabled to produce a large movement of the contact arm 21 by a comparatively small move ment by the rudder post 1. The construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 also permits of the contact mechanism being entirely incarried on the inner face thereof, and a contact arm mounted on an axisconcentric with said ring, and provided at its end with a contact brush cooperating with said series of contacts, said rin or drum being formed with an opening t rough whichsaid brush may be inserted in or removed from said arm. 1 Y

3. In a contact maker for helm indicators, a support, a lurality of annular series of contacts carrie on one face thereof, and a contact arm carrying at its end a plurality of removable, spring pressed brushes cooperating with said series of contacts,'-said support be ing provided with. a plurality of openings, one for each seriesfof contacts, through moved from said arm. Y

which said brushes may be inserted in or re 7 V i 1.15 4. In av contact maker for helm indicators,

a contact arm, and'an annular ring of insu latmg material surrounding the same, and carrying on its Inner face an annular series of contacts, separated by pieces-01" in'sulatin' material, sa1d contacts bein secured to sea ringby fastening means, an being so shaped as .to overlie the ends of said pieces of insulating material, and hold them in position. 7

4 5. In a contact maker for helm indicators,

material surroundingjthe same, said ring Wing formedvon its inner face a series of-annular grooves, each of said 'grooves haw 1 mg mounted therein a series of metalhc 0011-.

a contact arm, and anannular ring of insulatmg1 'ing devices, consecutive ones-of tacts separated by pieces of insulating material, each metallic contact being secured to said ring by a suitable fastening means, and being so sha ed at its end as to overlie the end of the a acent piece of insulating material, and hold it in'position.

6. :In a helm angle indicator, a contact maker comprising a pair of adjacent annular seriesof contacts, the contacts of one of said series alternating with those of the other, and an indicator comprising a series which are connected alternately to contacts of each series.

7. In a helm angle indicator, the combination of a transmitting and a receiving instrug ment, said transmitting instrument comprisin a contact brush and a plurality of series 0 contacts over which said brush is adapted to move, and said receiving instrument comprising a single series of translating devices, consecutive ones of which are conoli t'ranslatmy hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK W. WOOD. Witnesses:

' J. GnAnyILnn MEYERS,

GERTRUDE M. STUcKER.

'In testimony whereof I have hereunto set i 

